The Truth About Power
by KMPcool
Summary: A girl goes to Hogwarts unsure of her blood status. What happens when she is sorted into the one house where blood is everything? How does a Slytherin girl make her way with a Gryffindor heart, Hufflepuff loyalty, and Ravenclaw brains? (rated for language in future chapters)


I don't own Harry Potter

"Well Darling, what's on the list?" My Dad asked as we entered Diagon Alley. It was a marvelous place, so many wizards and all their concoctions. Some are novel others ancient, all very powerful.

"Well, I'll need my books," I smiled at Flourish and Blotts. It was the best bookstore for textbooks and any other desired book. I visit as often as I can.

"You already have most of the books on your list my dear," My mother said looking the list over.

"Well, it's not my fault, I don't even want to go to Hogwarts," I shrugged.

"Well you're going, let's get the Fantastic Beasts book and go to the next stop," She said grabbing the only book off the list I needed. Then we were off to Ollivander's.

"You're using a wand like it or not," My Dad said as we walked into the shop. I really dislike wands; they reduce my ability to produce certain charms. They channel it too much for the spastic power of muggle magic.

"Oh, I was wondering when you'd come in for your own wand, my dear, Sara," Ollivander said as he searched for a wand for me. "Ah, perhaps this one," He said bestowing a vine wood wand. It was twisted in a weird way.

I waited for a moment, to mentally state the blocking spell. Flick, nothing. Another wand same thing. A few more were tried until one attempted to overpower me, creating a small spark before I could stop it. Hazel and phoenix feather, 11 inches was listed on the receipt. Another phoenix had given a feather. The demand for such wands had gone down though.

"Interesting, you seemed to have blocked the others," Olivander pointed out. I simply smiled, trying to maintain my innocence.

"Next, Sara," my mother demanded.

"A pewter caldron, size 2," I read off. To Potrage's cauldron shop we go.

"Perhaps, I should get a copper caldron, for the potions business of course," My mother said, examining the quality caldrons. "Yes, I think I shall," She concluded.

"Next, I need a brass scale, telescope and phials," I listed. The bell ringed as someone else entered the already crowded shop.

"Ah, I haven't seen you in a while, Stephen," Lucius Malfoy greeted my Father. The rest of the Malfoys were around.

"Lucius, you know my daughter, Sara," My dad said pointing towards me.

"Yes, of course," Lucius regarded me with disgust, figuring I was a mudblood. To be honest I don't know what I am.

"What's left to shop for?" My dad asked, seeking a way out of the conversation.

"Just the uniform items," I replied hastily.

"We'll be off to Twilfitt and Tattings then," My father said.

"Madam Malkin's sells more of the uniform items," I argued as we stepped out onto the cobblestone street.

"I realize that," my family walked into the higher end shop and got everything I needed. Along with some other clothes as my father ran off somewhere. Mom made me get a yellow dress.

"I just know you'll get into Hufflepuff," She cheered. "You're so sweet, hard working," She said wiping away a small tear of joy.

"What if I get sorted into another house?" I asked, looking at myself in the mirror.

"Like what, Ravenclaw? I suppose it's possible, you are a smart girl," She said pulling my hair back. "Gryffindor is possible, you've got some nerve," She laughed. "I'll support my little girl no matter what."

"Ready to go girls?" My father asked in the doorway to the shop.

"Yes, I think so," My mom stated. My father held up a black cat in his arms.

"Meet Jade," He declared. A cheer erupted from my lips that had involuntarily smiled. She had silky, short, black fur, and electric green eyes.

"Thank you," I said holding her in my arms, stroking her fur.

"Of course, anything for my little girl," He said, kissing my head.

"Well, we best get going," My mother said pulling us out of the shop. We headed home, in the muggle world.

We live in a quaint little neighborhood. Clean white house fronts, nice green lawns. It was sweet. Lots of families. However like most of suburbia all the hoses look exactly the same. My Aunts have a cooler house in Salem. There they sell their craft. I want to do that most definitely. I don't get why we aren't allowed to muggles have the same gift they just don't believe in themselves enough to use it, or it's in such small amounts no one notices it.

"You're back!" My best friend cheered. She was a muggle with curly brown hair and brown eyes. She had a fascination with magic, so she became a Wiccan. She wore earthy greens in a scarf and a tan dress, hair giddily bouncing on her shoulders. She was big in this town's muggle magic.

"Yep, I'm gonna go to school tomorrow,it's nerve racking," I explained with one exasperated sigh.

"Try not to kill anyone," She said seriously but a smile undermined her intended message .

"Hey, the problem came with the resurrection," I defended.

"Yep, we're normal eleven year olds," She laughed.

"Of course we are," I giggled as we walked in my front door.

"You're so lucky, you get to go to a school that teaches you magic," She admired a goblin made vase for the thousandth time.

"Yeah, it's great," I sighed.

"Scared?" She asked.

"Yeah," I shrugged. I didn't want her to know how deep the fear of it was, what if I'm not good enough?

"You're bound to make lots of new friends there, you're nice," She said sitting on the counter.

"Maybe, but I'm weird even in the magic world, not very many people are adopted," I argued.

"You'll be okay, Sara," She reassured.

"I sure hope so Ali," I sighed, putting my books in order.

"Don't you already know most of that stuff?" Ali asked.

"Yeah," I smiled. "I'm still worried, you're not going so I'll have no one to hang out with," I sighed.

"You could hang out with what's his face," Ali pointed out. "That Malfoy kid."

"He's a bully."

"He deserves another chance."

"Draco's not going to change," I argued.

"Well I hope that your school year will be awesome even with everything," Ali said.

"Thanks Alison," I replied, using her full name.

"_That_ is why you need a nickname," She laughed. I shook my head.

I barely slept a wink that night. Hogwarts, houses, which one will be mine? Will I have friends? Will the teachers like me? What will my grades be like? Will people be nice to me? Will they make me use my wand?

To Hogwarts I go, with all my stuff for a year. Exciting, terrifying all that fun stuff. The train was packed; the only place that had an open seat that I saw was with Draco. I truly considered standing.

"Draco, everywhere else is full, can I sit with you guys?" I pleaded.

"She couldn't drag the conversation down any further," A girl I didn't know the name of stated with a roll of her eyes.

"Sure, sit next to Crab," Draco ordered. Now was not the time to argue about his authority or lack there of.

"So, Sara what house do you think you'll be sorted into?" Draco asked, spitefully.

"I'm not sure, probably not slytherin, where we all know you'll be headed," I replied.

"Probably to one of the inferior houses," The girl I didn't know the name of said. She had long dark hair and brown eyes thick with emotions.

"As long as everything works out I don't care what house I'm in," I grumbled.

"What do you mean as long as everything works out?" Crab grumbled.

"I may skip ahead in some of my classes," I shrugged.

"Which ones?" Goyale asked without much investment in the words much less in the idea. combined those two have about the brain power of a rock.

"Everyone besides care of magical creatures," I explained.

"You're going into Ravenclaw," Draco stated as if it was plainly obvious.

"We'll see," I shrugged. The rest of the ride was tense. And the boat ride was even worse.

The castle was magnificent. Tall and made of stone with lots of windows, it was pretty in a twisted medieval sort of way.

Professor McGonagall stopped us before the main hall. The interior was confusing; I'm going to get lost. She talked about the houses most of which went straight over my head. As soon as the doors had shut behind her they started to come out. we entered the large ceiling looked like a night sky; I have to figure out how to do that. It's so cool. I stared up at it for most of the walk towards the front. I was sorted after Draco.

The second the hat was on my head it started to talk, "Well what do we have here? A smart girl witty, no doubt, but also hardworking, yes extremely so, brave ready to stand up for what you are and who you are, yet unique and ambitious, hmmm hard to decide," The hat said. I could feel it searching my thoughts. It reached a small incident of my past. "Ah, that changes everything," It told me. Memories of snakes and conversations had sealed my fate. "Slytherin!" The hat declared. I nervously smiled and walked to my House's table.

"Welcome to Slytherin," A prefect said as I shook his hand.

"Thanks," I nodded. The one house where blood is everything. This year is not off to a good start. Maybe I can transfer schools. Others joined the table, including the girl from the train.

"House standards have really fallen," She said in regard to me.

"Sorry to disappoint you," I retorted as we walked towards the common room. Black leather and green accents were all it truly held. Not comfortable but rather uptight. A man with dark hair and very pale skin strutted into the room, with such an air of diligence and perfectionism I could only assume it was Professor Snape.

"Why hello," He dismissed our fascinated looks. With that he left us to speculate.

"Was that professor Snape? The potions master?" Someone piped up.

"Obviously," The girl from the train mocked.

"He was, a little cruel at times, but really he's fine," Another, older kid elaborated.

" Where's the library? For sake of a mental map," I asked.

"How are you not in Ravenclaw?" One mumbled.

"I bet she can't even cast a proper spell, she doesn't touch a wand if she doesn't have to," That girl from the train pointed out.

"I'm sorry, who exactly are you?" I asked a fake smile spread across my lips, now was not the time for enemies.

"I could ask you the same, it's obvious enough you're a witch, but other than that even you don't know who you _really_ are," She scoffed. "How'd you even get into Hogwarts?"

"To be fair, do you know who you are? Is pureblood slytherin your whole identity? That's not enough to make you special," I said.

"Veronica, she's a mudblood, not worth it," Another girl dismissed.

"Mud bloods don't deserve a magical education," Veronica spat.

"Careful, you may get exactly what you want," I warned, "There is nothing worse than getting everything you ever wanted."

Snape burst in the room, with a loud, over dramatic entrance. "You all have classes at exactly seven thirty, I expect each of you to be prepared for the classes, first years placement is highly important, as I trust you all know," He lectured.

"Sometimes profound words are not enough to get by," He added looking at me, "however true they may be."

"I'm sure you have experience," I nodded. He regarded me tensely, but in such a way that a memory may have been triggered by my being. He shields himself, he hides.

"You must be Sara, I've heard a fair deal about your so called talent," Snape sneered. "Then your parents come to Hogwarts with the request that you are placed in higher classes, I think they think of you too highly."

"I can brew an effective blood-replenishing potion, Skele-grow and if given enough time more advanced potions as well," I spurted out.

"Fascinating, only medical potions," Snape stated.

"Well my poisons never turn out well, actually, they turn out a little too well sometimes," I ranted. "And I know magic by use, and blood replenishers are more useful than highly deadly toxins."

"That does not make you advanced in any other classes."

"I can produce more charms than the average 3rd year," I spouted at the professor. I felt a strange need to defend and justify myself.

"Can you produce a patronus?" An older student scoffed.

"No,and I doubt you can either" I said.

"Awwwwwwwwww something little miss perfect can't do!" Veronica mocked.

"Can you?" I shot back.

"That's besides the point, " another girl had piped up. Her dark hair was in a neat Bob. I recognised her as Pansy, from the sorting ceremony. She was sorted almost immediately to Slytherin.

"First years, this is no time to be arguing, the dorms are separated by gender, you things have already been brought down." A prefect told us.

We went our separate ways only to wake up a few hours later to be thrown around through classes. I spent all day looking forward to potions, knowing that if I got a chance to brew something, anything, I would be able to prove that I actually was talented.

Charms was a pain, transfiguration was pathetic, D.A.D.A. annoying, herbology was confusing, potions was my saving grace, hopefully.

The walls had pickled creatures, most of which I recognised, it was dim, as all the dungeons are. The Gryffindors looked around in disgust for the most part. Snape called roll in a rather ragged sounding version of his voice. He had paused at Harry's name as I'm sure many others had. The entire class was silent as Snape began to teach the class.

"You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion making. As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with it's shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind and ensnaring the senses," he demanded our attention in a strangely elegant way. He went on about bottling fame and such.

"Potter!" He suddenly snapped. Snape quizzed the helpless boy right then and there, I,of course, knew powdered asphodel root and wormwood made the draught of living death, a bezoar is the stone a goat's digestive tract produces that can counter poisons, monkshood and wolfsbane are both aconite. I had written the answers to each on my parchment. This did not go unnoticed by Snape as he walked back to his desk. Draco was just about dieing of laughter so I elbowed him silently.

"What was that for?" Draco hissed.

"You didn't know it either, so shut it," I explained.

"What's to say I didn't?" Draco argued. I just looked over to him in a 'I-know-you're-lying' way and he admitted that he hadn't. The two of us were paired up by Snape to make a cure boils potion. It's a pathetically trivial potion, I could do it in my sleep.

Neville managed to still screw it up. He melted his caldron because he didn't care to read the instructions. The liquid seeped on the floor, I knew how this mess would end.

"Get on the desk," I told Draco as the mis-brewed potion oozed towards us.

"What, why?" Draco hissed.

"It was brewed incorrectly," I explained, already on my chair.

"So?" He asked, only to see Neville break into angry red boils. After seeing that he hopped on his own chair. Snape finally took notice and cleared the potion with a single wave of his wand.

We stepped back on the slate gray stone floor as Snape took some points from Gryffindor because Harry had laughed at Neville's misfortune. If this is the trend of the rest of the year, I am going to give up.

**A.N. What do you think about this? It's my first story for this fandom I kept it for a while trying to make it perfect so feedback is welcomed.**


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